Promote legacy of Russian painter Roerich: Himachal Governor

Shimla, April 4 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh Governor Acharya Devvrat on Wednesday asked the International Roerich Memorial Trust, which manages Russian painter and philosopher Nicholas Roerich’s estate in the state, to promote his legacy.

The issue was discussed at a meeting here between Devvrat and Russian Ambassador to India Nikolay R. Kudasheva, during which the Governor pointed out that Roerich was a strong supporter of ancient Indian tradition and customs and strengthened ties between the two countries.

“We have to move forward by organising international conferences or seminars to promote the legacy of Roerich,” an official statement quoting Devvrat said.

The Governor also pointed out that India and Russia had good cultural and diplomatic relations over the years and favoured promotion of cultural exchange between the two countries.

Devvrat said Russia could be made a partner in the state’s development by taking advantage of its expertise in agriculture, tourism, education, transport, disaster management and technology.

The Russian Ambassador is lifetime member of International Roerich Memorial Trust its Vice President, while the Himachal Chief Minister is ex officio President.

The trust, which manages Roerich’s estate near Kullu town, has in its possession over 8,126 artefacts, including 37 paintings by Roerich, 12 paintings by his son Svyatoslav Roerich, 1,586 memorial objects, 1,736 books and journals and 3,070 ‘herbarium’ collections.

The Roerich estate is at Naggar, 25 km from Kullu, where Roerich arrived in 1927 from St. Petersburg. He made the tiny village his home for more than 20 years.

Roerich’s wife Helena, a famous writer, and sons Yuri, a prominent oriental scholar, and Svyatoslav, a well-known painter, and Svyatoslav’s wife Devika Rani all stayed with him in Naggar.